State Sen. Bob Mensch: Pa. must address transportation funding crisis

Our roads and highways are one of the facets of our daily lives that many of us take for granted. Unfortunately, although maintaining and improving our transportation infrastructure is one of the core functions of our state and local governments, roadway and bridge repairs and construction of new modes of transportation are falling behind demand.

As government transportation funding stagnates, the length of our daily commutes become longer and our economy — which requires efficient and safe means of transportation to move goods and conduct commerce — is negatively impacted. Transportation projects in Bucks, Lehigh, Northampton and Montgomery counties such as roadway resurfacing and reconstruction projects, bridge rehabilitations, and mass transit all need new sources of funding.

According to the Pennsylvania State Transportation Advisory Committee, the unfunded transportation needs in Pennsylvania will surpass $7.2 billion in eight years. This forces the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation to defer a variety of roadway, highway, and bridge projects needed for routine maintenance, increased capacity, and other improvements.

A recent report by the American Society for Civil Engineers found that more than half of Pennsylvania’s major urban roads are in “poor or mediocre condition,” costing Pennsylvania drivers $3.2 billion a year in additional vehicle repairs and operating costs. Potholes, unsafe road conditions, and longer take their toll, costing motorists an average $373 per year.

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Then there is the safety factor to consider. Two out of every five bridges in Pennsylvania are structurally deficient or functionally obsolete, ranking Pennsylvania as one of the worst states in the country. Pennsylvania’s vehicle fatality rates are more than double some other states.

The lack of adequate investment in our transportation infrastructure also impacts Pennsylvania businesses and jobs. The Associated Pennsylvania Constructors recently estimated that up to 34 percent of the state’s highway construction workforce will be furloughed in 2013 due to a projected $1.5 billion decrease in PennDOT construction contract awards.

But these challenges also underscore the opportunities before us. If Pennsylvania increased transportation funding by $2.5 billion per year, we could create 50,000 new jobs, begin to address our infrastructure needs, and encourage new businesses to locate here.

Last year, the Transportation Funding Advisory Commission, impaneled by Gov. Corbett, issued a detailed report with recommendations to decrease government operating expenses and make more funding available for investment in our transportation infrastructure. For example, requiring vehicle registrations every two years instead of every year would save PennDOT $5 million in annual expenses. Making drivers’ licenses valid for eight years instead of four years would result in annual savings of $500,000. Reducing bureaucratic costs will result in more funding available for our infrastructure needs.

The report also recommends options to generate new funding. Allowing marketing and advertising in state right of ways and on service patrol trucks could generate more than $9 million in new revenues and cost savings. Moving Pennsylvania’s collection of motor fuel taxes from the distributor level to the terminal would generate an additional $25 million in revenue each year. The report also calls for indexing vehicle and driver fees to inflation, generating $574 million in annual revenues.

Yes, the report projects that there will be costs to drivers — an estimated $132 per year. But drivers already bear the cost of inaction — the $373 in additional annual vehicle maintenance and operating costs as a result of driving on our deficient and congested roadways.

From a cost-benefit perspective, our transportation infrastructure is a sound investment. The negative impacts on our state’s economy, on our environment, and on the quality of life for Pennsylvanians will continue if we fail to act.

While we may not agree on every recommendation by the Commission, the report provides a starting point for a policy debate on how we can best address Pennsylvania’s transportation funding crisis. This is a policy issue that must be a top priority for both the legislature and the governor in the coming year.

State Sen. Bob Mensch is a Republican who represents the 24th Senate District of Pennsylvania, which includes portions of Bucks, Lehigh, Montgomery, and Northampton counties.